Chapter 48 Green Tea's Gift Rejected
That woman was Liang Manyun.
A fleeting, almost imperceptible gloom crossed his face the moment he saw Su Yue.
Xu Caixia followed Su Yue's gaze, pursed her lips, and muttered in a low voice, "Bad luck."
Li Chunyan gently tugged at Su Yue's sleeve, signaling her to ignore it.
Su Yue understood immediately; it seemed that Dr. Liang wasn't very popular in the family compound.
"Hello, Comrade Su Yue"
Liang Manyun wore a warm, almost fake smile, and held something wrapped in newspaper in her hand.
She completely ignored Xu Caixia and Li Chunyan beside her and stood directly in front of Su Yue.
"I heard you and Commander Gu are getting married. Congratulations!"
As she spoke, she handed the things in her hand forward.
"I'm just a poor doctor, and I don't have anything nice to give you. This is a piece of cloth that I asked someone to bring back from the provincial capital. I thought you'd be lacking these things since you just arrived. Consider it a wedding gift from me as your friend. Please don't find it offensive."
She adopted a very humble posture and spoke very politely, as if she truly meant well.
The nurses and military dependents passing by cast curious glances at them.
Xu Caixia and Li Chunyan exchanged a glance, both seeing wariness in each other's eyes.
Unsolicited kindness is either a sign of malice or theft.
Su Yue lowered her eyes and glanced at the piece of cloth wrapped in newspaper.
This kind of fabric was indeed a good thing in those days. If you could get a piece to make a new outfit, it would be enough to make people envious for a long time.
Unfortunately, Su Yue was not a country bumpkin of this era.
Any piece of fabric from her mother's dowry would be a hundred times more valuable than this.
Moreover, the scheming in this woman's eyes was practically overflowing. Did she think she was a fool?
"I appreciate the thought," Su Yue said indifferently, with a distant yet polite smile on her face, "but no need for a gift. I don't like owing favors."
Her refusal was swift and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.
Liang Manyun's smile froze instantly.
She had imagined that Su Yue might decline, but she didn't expect her to refuse so directly and so bluntly.
This left all the prepared arguments stuck in her throat.
Her real purpose was certainly not as simple as giving a gift.
The apartment next to Gu Beichen's had been vacant for a long time, and she had been eyeing it for a long time.
If I can get along well with Su Yue and let her whisper sweet nothings in Gu Beichen's ear, and then find an opportunity to apply to my boss to move in as his neighbor, wouldn't that be like being in a prime position to get the moon first?
But now, we're stuck on the very first step!
After Su Yue finished speaking, she nodded to Xu Caixia and Li Chunyan: "Sisters-in-law, let's go."
"Okay, good!" Xu Caixia and Li Chunyan couldn't wait to leave this troublesome place.
Seeing Su Yue turn to leave, Liang Manyun panicked.
If she gets rejected like this today, how will she ever be able to hold her head up in the family compound again?
In a moment of desperation, she acted impulsively and grabbed Su Yue's wrist.
"Comrade Su Yue!"
Her voice trembled with tears, and her eyes instantly reddened, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
"You...you must have misunderstood me, right? I really didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to be friends with you...If you don't accept me, it means you're looking down on me..."
Her tearful appearance immediately attracted a larger crowd.
Those who don't know the truth might really think that Su Yue was abusing her power and bullying her new colleague.
Su Yue's wrist ached from being gripped so tightly, and her expression turned completely cold.
What she hates most are these scheming, indecent women who try to take advantage of others.
"Let go."
Su Yue's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable chill.
"I'll say it again, take your hand off me. I don't like being touched."
“I…” Liang Manyun shuddered at the coldness in her eyes, but since the act had already gone this far, she couldn’t back down.
She gripped it tighter, tears streaming down her face: "Comrade Su Yue, please accept it, I'm begging you..."
Xu Caixia couldn't stand it anymore and, hands on her hips, was about to step forward to argue: "Hey, Dr. Liang, what are you doing? Are you trying to force me to buy something? My sister-in-law has already said she doesn't want it, but you're still holding on. What are you up to?"
Just as tensions were about to rise, a cold, metallic voice rang out unexpectedly behind Liang Manyun.
"Comrade Liang Manyun, what are you doing?"
The voice wasn't loud, but it carried a powerful pressure that sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.
Liang Manyun froze, then slowly turned her head around.
Gu Beichen was already standing behind her, dressed in a crisp military uniform with his hat pulled low, obscuring his expression. But his exposed eyes were now staring sharply at the hand that was gripping Su Yue.
"Commander Gu... Commander Gu..."
Liang Manyun was so frightened that she almost lost her mind and instinctively let go of his hand.
Ignoring her panic, Gu Beichen strode over to Su Yue and subtly shielded her behind him.
His gaze fell on Liang Manyun again, his tone stern and devoid of any warmth.
"What kind of behavior is it to pull and shove at the hospital entrance during working hours?"
“I…I just wanted to give Comrade Su Yue a wedding gift…” Liang Manyun’s face was pale and her voice was trembling.
"Gifts?" Gu Beichen sneered, but his smile was colder than ice.
"I'd like to ask you, why would a doctor from a military hospital like you, who has no relation to my wife, give such an expensive gift?"
He took a step closer, his powerful aura making Liang Manyun almost unable to breathe.
"Your behavior, at best, is a matter of conduct; at worst, it's an attempt to corrupt a military family with sweet words! What are you up to?"
When the label of "corrupting military families" was slapped on Liang Manyun, she was stunned on the spot, her legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground.
If this charge is proven true, not only will she not be able to stay in the hospital, her life will be over!
"No...no! Commander Gu, please let me explain!" she pleaded, crying.
"I don't need your explanation." Gu Beichen's tone remained unmoved. "What you need to do now is go back and write a detailed explanation, clearly stating your motives for giving the gift and the source of the fabric! Submit it to my office before eight o'clock tomorrow morning!"
“I…” Liang Manyun was completely dumbfounded.
Write a statement? Doesn't that mean she has to hand over the evidence herself?
Gu Beichen didn't even bother to look at her again, directly drawing a line between them: "Also, Dr. Liang, please call me Commander Gu from now on. I'm not familiar with you."
After saying that, he turned around and faced Su Yue.
His previously taut jawline softened, and his gaze became gentle.
He reached out and carefully lifted Su Yue's wrist, where it had just been grabbed; there was already a clear red mark there.
His brows furrowed immediately, and his voice carried a heartache he himself was unaware of.
Did she hurt you?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com